and those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow after
This continuation emphasizes the cyclical and repetitive nature of human existence. The future generations, despite their efforts and accomplishments, will also be forgotten. This can be seen as a commentary on the vanity of human endeavors without eternal significance. The cultural context of the ancient Near East, where oral tradition was key, highlights the challenge of preserving memory beyond a few generations. This phrase can be connected to the New Testament teaching in James 4:14, which describes life as a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. It underscores the importance of seeking eternal values and wisdom, as found in the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).

Solomon opens with a sobering observation: “There is no remembrance….” Our earthly memories are fragile and brief. • Psalm 103:15-16 reminds us that “the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more,” underlining how quickly even vibrant lives fade from communal memory. • James 4:14 echoes the same truth, calling life “a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” The author is not indulging in cynicism but stating a literal reality that must be faced if we hope to value what truly endures.

Generations past, with all their triumphs and failures, slip into obscurity. • Job 7:9-10 notes that a person who dies “will not return to his house; his place will remember him no more.” • Psalm 90:10, while noting the length of life, also hints that human stories eventually blur into anonymity. This humbling perspective pushes us to recognize that accolades, monuments, and earthly achievements alone cannot secure lasting significance.

Solomon widens the lens to future generations. Even the unborn, though they will have their own hopes and plans, are destined to be forgotten in turn. • Isaiah 40:6-7 portrays all humanity as grass that withers and flowers that fall, stressing that the cycle of fading memory will continue unabated. This recognition guards us from misplaced confidence in the permanence of human legacy.

The blunt certainty—“will not be remembered”—cuts against any assumption that time will eventually honor everyone. • Ecclesiastes 2:16 states, “For the wise man, like the fool, will not be remembered forever,” proving that intellect or virtue alone cannot shield us from obscurity. Yet Scripture offers a contrasting promise for those who belong to the Lord: Malachi 3:16 speaks of a “scroll of remembrance” written before Him, assuring believers that God never forgets His own.

Final emphasis lands on the ones who could have carried the stories forward: the next generation. But even they, Solomon says, will not retain them. • Judges 2:10 laments that “another generation arose…who did not know the LORD,” illustrating how quickly crucial knowledge can be lost. • Conversely, Luke 10:20 lifts our gaze from earthly memory to heavenly record: “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Thus, while human remembrance is fleeting, divine remembrance is eternal.

Ecclesiastes 1:11 confronts us with the reality that human memory cannot preserve our names or deeds for long. Past, present, and future generations all drift into forgetfulness. This truth dismantles pride in earthly achievements and redirects our hearts toward what God alone records and rewards (1 Corinthians 15:58; Revelation 14:13). In Christ, our labor is not in vain, and our names are secure—treasured not in the uncertain annals of history but in the everlasting book kept by the Lord who remembers forever.

"Adversity, prosperity, the grave,
Play a round game with friends. On some the world
Hath shot its evil eye, and they are passel
From honor and remembrance; and stare
Is all the mention of their names receives;
And people know no more of them than they know
The shapes of clouds at midnight a year hence." Neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after; rather, and even of later generations that shall be there will be no remembrance of them with those that shall be in the after-time. Wright quotes Marcus Aurelius, who has much to say on this subject. Thus: cap. 2:17, "Posthumous fame is oblivion;" cap. 3:10, "Every man's life lies all within the present; for the past is spent and done with, and the future is uncertain;" cap. 4:33, "Those words which were formerly current and proper are now become obsolete and barbarous. Alas l this is not all: fame tarnishes in time, too, and men grow out of fashion as well as language. Those celebrated names of ancient story am antiquated; those of later date have the same fortune; and those of present celebrity must follow. I speak this of those who have been the wonder of their age, and shined with unusual luster; but as for the rest, they are no sooner dead than forgotten" (comp. Wisd. 2:4). (On the keen desire to live in the memory of posterity, see Ecclus. 37:26 Ecclus. 44:7, etc.)

Parallel Commentaries ...